(RTTNews) - In a weekend with just one wide release, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is in clear position to put up not only a chart-topping weekend but the top opening of the year so far. Following strong early numbers, "Thor" and "Fast Five" should both see substantial drops in revenue due to strong competition from "Pirates," while R-rated comedy "Bridesmaids" is set up for a very nice second weekend in theaters.
When "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" first hit theaters in 2003, Johnny Depp was a popular actor but nowhere near the top box office draw in the entire world. With the strong success of the first entry, however, Depp was catapulted to the very top of the A-list and an enormous franchise was born. Though "Black Pearl" was a big hit, sequels "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" were considerably bigger; "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" averaged more than $1 billion in worldwide revenue, making the "Pirates" series one of the premier franchises in Hollywood.Even if director Gore Verbinski, who helmed the first three, dropped out of "On Stranger Tides" to focus on other projects, Disney found a nice replacement in veteran Rob Marshall to take over the series. Though Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom both dropped out of the series as well, it's unlikely that will slow down the series in any way, with Depp still remaining as the top draw.
Disney also made some interesting additions to the cast, including Penelope Cruz and British actor Ian McShane. McShane is mostly known from HBO's critically lauded historical series "Deadwood" and he seems to be a great fit as Blackbeard, one of the most infamous pirates of all time. Adding in a quest for the Fountain of Youth, "On Stranger Tides" looks to have plenty of fantastical action and top-tier special effects to satisfy mainstream audiences, which should lead to an enormous weekend.
The only downside for "On Stranger Tides" is that both "Thor" and "Fast Five" continue to do very well with action audiences, which will take away a small portion of its intended demographic. Even if it doesn't approach the $135 million that "Dead Man's Chest" earned in its opening weekend back in 2006, a weekend intake in the neighborhood of $100 million certainly seems like a possibility. With the international pull of Buena Vista/Disney and the worldwide reputation of Depp, not to mention Geoffrey Rush from "The King's Speech," "On Stranger Tides" should put up very big numbers across the globe over the next couple of weekends.
Though "On Stranger Tides" will definitely affect the revenues of "Thor" and "Fast Five," R-rated comedy "Bridesmaids" should continue to do very well with adult audiences looking to stay out of the "Pirates" hoopla. "Bridesmaids" posted a very nice $26 million opening a week ago and boasts very strong critical and user reviews, which should translate to continued success through the rest of the month. Expect a small revenue decline for "Bridesmaids" this weekend and for it to post a strong 10-day total for a $32 million production released at less than 3,000 venues.
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